Six Marines who died in a helicopter crash in Nepal were remembered Wednesday for performing heroic acts to help the earthquake-stricken country.

"Our Marines gave their lives so that others might live," Lt. Col. Edward Powers, commander of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469, told attendees at a memorial service on the flight line at Camp Pendleton.

"Their last acts were heroic, selfless acts for fellow human beings who desperately needed their help," Powers said. "Our Marines executed their mission in the most noble of fashions."

The six died in a UH-1Y Huey crash May 12 while on a mission to provide food and other supplies to villagers. The cause of the crash on a steep mountainside has not been determined.